Joliet Squad Cars Sanitized Thanks To 2 Local Companies
JOLIET, IL — Joliet area emergency responders have received several meal donations since the new coronavirus outbreak, but Thursday marked a first in Joliet. Employees at a small local company, Rytech, donned hazmat suits and took control of the Joliet Police Department downtown parking lot, sanitizing about 50 squad cars.
Rytech business owner Ray Gallant, along with Bill Dimitroulas, owner of DMT Insurance Service Inc., joined forces to make the in-kind donation to the police department.
"We're trying always to give back to the community," Dimitroulas said. "The minimum we can do at this point is to support as much as possible the first responders ... they are exposed more than anybody else.
"JPD is one of the departments that always was and will be there to perform the best they can for our safety. I think it's a great moment to show them our appreciation and give them a peace of mind that, at least, their vehicles are sanitized."
The two local business owners provided all the labor, sanitizing chemicals and equipment at no cost to the city of Joliet.
Rytech employees spent an average of five to 10 minutes sanitizing each officer's squad car from 4 to 8 p.m. Another 50 squad cars are to be sanitized Friday afternoon.
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"It's just a sanitizing with a disinfectant that's approved for COVID-19," Gallant told Joliet Patch. "It's a great preventative measure. It's not a mandated thing, but we wanted the Joliet police officers to feel a little better about being out there in the firing line" of the coronavirus.
Rytech has been in business for 25 years in the Chicago area and in Joliet the past three years, Gallant said.
Rytech specializes in odor removal, sewage cleanup, indoor environmental control, water damage restoration and mold remediation.
The Joliet company is at 16444 Cherry Creek Court; its phone number is 630-359-7458.
"Right now, with COVID-19, we're doing buildings, restaurants and banks," Gallant said.
The Joliet Police Department marked the first sanitation donation Rytech has made amid the health crisis.
"We wanted to start here in Joliet because that's where we are located," Gallant said.
Nearly 130 small local restaurants have filled out Joliet Patch's simple online survey to let everyone know they are open, along with their current hours of operation during the coronavirus outbreak.
If you want to add your business to Joliet Patch's list of open and closed businesses, you can do so here.
Related:
Illinois Coronavirus Update April 16: 1,072 Deaths
Barolo Ristorante Reopens Kitchen: 'We'll See What Happens'
'We're On Life Support' Coronavirus Squeezes IL Breweries
This article originally appeared on the Joliet Patch
